Saskatoon landlord involved in insurance battle and lawsuit

A Saskatoon landlord is fighting an insurance company after his
only rental property was badly damaged in a suspicious fire this summer.

"In
our case, it's a very significant part of our livelihood and well-being
financially," said Stephen Brandt, who purchased the property for extra income
so his wife could stay home with a sick baby.

Brandt said he feels he hasn't
gotten the amount of money from Saskatchewan Mutual Insurance (SMI) he should
have and said the company hasn't handled his situation well.

Now, SMI has
filed a defamation lawsuit against Brandt for comments he has made about the
company on his blog and during contact with media sources and professionals in
Saskatoon.

The legal papers say SMI is trying to sue him for up to $150,000
in damages.

"I haven't stated anything that I believe is untrue," he
said.

Brandt currently lives in Calgary, but was in Saskatoon on Wednesday
trying to collect 10 signatures from people who have insurance policies with
SMI.

"If there are 10 members that request a special general meeting in
writing, then (SMI has) to hold one," he said, citing part of the Saskatchewan
Insurance Act.

At that meeting, Brandt wants to bring forward suggestions on
how to improve SMI for future claims, based on his experience.

"My hope would
be ... that was has happened in my situation would not happen to another member
or policy holder in the future," he said.

His suggestions for SMI include:
creating a "what to expect and how this works" guide for people who have just
filed a claim, a policy for how to deal with unanswered phone calls and emails
from people who filed a claim and need to get in touch with SMI, a post-claim
survey for people who have dealt with SMI, a member-review panel and a policy to
not cancel insurance for people in the middle of a disputed claim.

"The
members have the power to sort of drive greater accountability and transparency
and this is part of what I'm going for."